Company sources said discussions with many other automobile companies were at an advanced stage and the investment details were being worked out. "The project has met with a positive response from the leading automobile companies. We hope to tie up the loose ends in another two months," the sources said.

"Since the vendor base of many of the two- and four-wheeler manufacturers is similar, we would like to tap the supplier base through a common platform," they added.

The proposed investment, it is learnt, will be "significant", and all the participants will chip in with their share of the contribution. The name of the B2B portal is also being kept under wraps "for the time being".

Industry observers say a common B2B industry portal will bring down costs for all the participants, besides streamliningthe supply chain. "We are working on the project viability and the funding pattern. All participants will gain from the inditiative," said a senior official with a leading two-wheeler company.

Bajaj Auto, which has taken the lead for the inititiave, is also in the last lap of floating a B2C portal for the two-wheeler industry.

Unlike the B2B initiative, the two-wheeler industry portal will initially be funded by Bajaj Auto, which has a strong presence in both scooters and motorcycles. Other two-wheeler makers are expected to join the project at a later stage. "We have had talks with a few industry players, and the response is encouraging. We hope to launch the portal next month," the official added.

The site, company officials say, will carry the comparative specifications, prices and related information on the various two-wheeler models. Neutral reviews will also be carried on the site to give the customer a non-partisan comparative of the available models in the industry.

"Based on the customerresponse, the orders and other related information will be passed on to the dealers for prompt delivery. Customer feedbacks and complaints will also be passed on to the companies for corrective action," the sources said.

The Internet initiatives come at a time when the two-wheeler industry is going through a lacklustre patch, with the sector poised to grow at around 8-9 per cent in the current fiscal. Sales in the northern and eastern regions have been adversely hit due to the hike in effective sales tax rates.

The shift in customer preference from scooters to motorcycles continues unabated, with the scooter segment registering a negative growth. Motorcycle sales, on the contrary, have been growing at around 30 per cent.

"Offtakes are relatively low during June-August, and this will be reflected in the sales of both scooters and motorcycles. We are confident that the excitement will be back during the last quarter of the calendar year," said an industry official.